Joshua 24:14–18, 24–26

Bible Studies for Life

Adjunct Professor of Biblical Perspectives, Samford University

Call Others to Step Forward

Joshua 24:14–18, 24–26

“We will never finish the work God has for us. After we pass on, God will raise up someone else to continue that work.” I’ve never forgotten those words, spoken by my sage professor on the last day of our Old Testament class. Sometimes it’s easy to think we’re indispensable — that there’s a calling that only we can fulfill. And perhaps we are called to specific tasks at specific times in our lives.

When our time on earth is done, however, it’s heartening to know that God’s work continues in the lives of others. As Moses looked to the Promised Land on the eve of his death, Joshua was preparing to lead. And, as Joshua neared death, the children of Israel were called to step forward and lead themselves.

Call for others to make a public commitment to God and set the example. (14–15)

Just prior to his death, Joshua made one final proclamation to the people on behalf of God. Joshua functioned as God’s messenger, declaring “thus saith the Lord” to the people. In his last address Joshua spoke the words of God, which mirror everything God had already said in the Torah. Namely, the children of Israel were to serve God alone. Joshua reminds the Israelites that their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were not monotheists. Abraham had been called from Ur of the Chaldeans, where he would have likely served other gods. For the patriarchs, Yahweh was merely one of many deities they would have worshipped (Gen. 31:19, 31–32, 53).

Transitioning from the patriarchs to the wilderness generation, God commanded exclusive loyalty to himself (Deut. 6:1–5; 10:20; Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8). Joshua’s public proclamation reiterated God’s instructions under Moses and also delineated his own position before God.

Remind others of what God has done for them. (16–18)

Throughout the Torah, God calls upon the people to be witnesses against themselves. Frequently the scene is a call and response where the people swear allegiance, and heaven and earth witnesses against them if they break loyalty (Deut. 27–33).

In the final pages of the Torah, the language vacillates between optimism and pessimism, the hope that the children of Israel will not break faith and the near certitude that they will forsake God. Built into the heart of the Torah is the call to remember all that God has done.

The history of God and God’s people is one of freedom from enslavement and faithfulness in wilderness. The history of God and God’s people demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his covenant (cf. Gen. 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:1–27). The promises to the children of Israel are fulfilled in full by the end of the book of Joshua. By the time of Joshua’s death, the Israelites enjoy land, blessing and descendants. The recollection of God’s faithfulness was tied to their worship throughout their history, as the book of Psalms also suggests.

Help them remember and commemorate their commitment to God. (24–26)

Part of recalling what God has done includes not only a public proclamation — the telling of the story of God and the story of us. Throughout the Old Testament, a physical marker is often erected as a symbol of covenant relationship. Today we might think of covenant in a positive sense — such as a marriage. In the Old Testament, a covenant was often made when two parties who did not trust one another, such as a covenant between two nations or two individuals.

When the Israelites commemorate their commitment to God by setting up a stone, it served as a witness against them. It demonstrated that the people’s hearts were often fickle. The physical marker of their commitment reminded them about the consequences if they failed to be obedient. The stone also showed that their relationship with God and their work in the world was ongoing. As we consider the symbolic markers in our own lives, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to our own lives and work, as well as his ongoing commitment through others who follow after us.